FAU, Kiffin finalize 10-year contract

Florida Atlantic and head coach Lane Kiffin finally finalized a new 10-year contract.

The deal, which will keep Kiffin with the university until 2027, was initially agreed upon in December but was made official this week, a school spokesman confirmed to the Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale.

Kiffin resurrected the school’s football program in just one season, guiding the Owls to an 11-3 record and 10 consecutive victories.

Florida Atlantic won the Conference USA championship and capped the season with a victory over Akron in the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl.

The 11 wins represent the most in program history for the Owls in their 13 years as an FBS school. Florida Atlantic posted three consecutive 3-9 marks prior to Kiffin’s arrival.

Kiffin’s initial deal was for five years and paid him $950,000 annually. While his yearly salary will remain the same, Kiffin will receive a $50,000 bonus for each year he remains with the program. Numerous incentives also are included in the contract.

“I’m not driven by money anymore,” Kiffin told ESPN.com in May. “I’m not driven by ego, of the attention being a head coach at one of those places. I’m very happy here on all fronts.”

Kiffin enjoyed success in his first season in Boca Raton after a bumpy ride as Alabama offensive coordinator during which the Crimson Tide won a national title following the 2015 season.

The 43-year-old Kiffin owns a 46-24 record all-time as a head coach that includes stops at USC and Tennessee.

Kiffin also went 5-15 in parts of two seasons as coach of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders before being dismissed as coach four games into the 2008 season.